Lastness

July dusk. Parched grass, pale whelk, sharp rock

Seaglass lump, maple lace, glazed cup, pine cone

Lichened twig, blunt cork, down feather, stubbed chalk

Moss, blackbird shell, acorn cap, quartz-stung stone


Talisman: the last word taught in childhood

Seed, stalk, husk – both archaic and brand-new

The first terms learnt in old age: will, heirloom

Legacy, testament; estate, accrue.


Winter morning. Cloud-white box, faïence tray

Plaster cube, salt cellar, tea sieve, brass latch

Beeswax taper, silk square, unfired clay

Alabaster urn, smoked glass, burnt match


This sun-ruffled catalogue, steadied by rhyme

This landscape of objects, shadowed by time